The Wedding Day
by IheartReid'XaiverandMoriarty23
Summary: "The past always catches up with you, sooner or later, or that's what everybody says" Ellie Mctargen, Ethan Hunt's fiance, and a member of the IMF team, is about to learn that everything has a consequence and that no-one (no matter how skilled they are) can escape their past.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm fine... No, I'm great. I'm great!" She assured herself as she stared into the body length mirror on the wall. As she looked at herself in the mirror she wondered how he could still love her. How he could still love her, despite of the lies she had fed him. She had created a whole fabrication, but when he found out, he didn't even care (well sort of, he was upset, but she understood that. After a few weeks though, he was back to normal again). He actually seemed to love her even more. It was bizarre, and she didn't quite know how she felt about it.

She sighed as she sat back on the bed. Ellie wanted to cry, but she didn't want to ruin her make up. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but it felt far from it. She could still make a run for it but it would make for a very awkward Monday morning. Ellie couldn't come up with an option that wouldn't end up with a very uncomfortable conversation with at least one person. "I can do this. I can do this. I love him. I love Ethan Hunt, and I can go through this for him," she mumbled quietly even though she didn't quite believe it. If she really loved him, she wouldn't have lied or cheated on him last night. She lay down as she considered her options. Maybe leaving the country to join the KGB or something would be a good idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**10 Hours previous**

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Will..." Ellie said as she came into his apartment (soaking wet and looking to the floor).  
"Don't worry about it, Elle, I wasn't sleeping anyway. Lately, I haven't been able to get to sleep much before two..." Will explained as Ellie led the way to the kitchen and started up the coffee machine.  
"You're not the only one. I'm pretty sure everyone in Tellrav has been pulling late nights," Ellie agreed as the coffee started to boil. She tried to sound like she was joking a little, but she sounded exhausted. She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard next to his fridge.  
Being part of project Tellrav meant that Ellie and Brandt spent a lot of time together, usually in an office or a hotel abroad, but sometimes in each other's apartments. That meant that Ellie knew Brandt's apartment almost as well as she knew the house she shared with Ethan.  
"Shouldn't you be in a bar or at least a hotel, relaxing or celebrating?" Will asked as Ellie started pouring the coffee. She paused as he asked that question.  
"I probably should be. That's what normal people do, isn't it? But then again you and I aren't normal people. None of us in this business are!" Ellie muttered as she finished pouring the coffee.  
"Yeah," He agreed as he took the coffee from the counter and started sipping it. "But I know people who would give their right arm to have a relaxing day off before getting married to a hot guy," Brandt muttered as he took another sip.  
"Well let's just say I would want to do pretty much anything else..." Ellie said quietly. She seemed so upset, but Brandt couldn't fully tell why. He could guess it was probably about the wedding tomorrow but he didn't understand why. Ellie had seemed fine until tonight. Actually she seemed really happy to get married to Ethan.  
She took a sip of her black coffee and asked, "Do you have something a little stronger?" Brandt nodded as he opened another cupboard in his small kitchen. "What would you like? I've got a couple of bottles of wine, and vodka. If you don't feel like that, I've got a bottle of Baileys and half a bottle of whisky in here too," he said as he bent down and looked through the cupboard.  
"Whatever is strongest," Ellie said as she walked into the living room.  
"Is it that bad?" Brandt asked as he grabbed the vodka and two glasses.  
"Yep," She whispered. Her voice sounded strained and almost as if she was holding back tears. 

In the years he had known Ellie, Brandt had only seen her cry twice, so he found it extremely odd that, on his sofa, after only 3 vodka shots, Ellie was sobbing. "Talk to me Ells, I don't like seeing you like this. Tell me what's wrong," Brandt whispered as he put his arm around the sobbing woman's shoulders.  
She shook her head softly. "I can't, it'll sound so bad..." Ellie whispered into his shoulder.  
Brandt moved his head slightly so it was almost on top of her hair. "Come on, you know me. I doubt it will sound as bad as you think it is. If it was so bad, you would have done something about it already," Brandt whispered into her hair. Even though it was still a little damp, her hair was soft and smelt of grapefruit and tea tree oil. It smelt strange but beautiful.  
"No, it's bad, but I can't do anything about it without breaking Ethan's heart..." She whispered as tears continued to stream down her face. "What's happened? Is someone going to hurt you or Ethan?" Brandt asked, almost instantly sobering up. If somebody was threatening Ellie he wouldn't hesitate in making sure they wouldn't be able to threaten her anymore.  
She shook her head. "No, no, no. Nothing that serious..." She murmured into Brandt's shoulder.  
"Then what is it? I know you, and I know you wouldn't be like this unless you thought it was serious. What is so bad that the only way out is... oh," Brandt said as he realized why Ellie was like this. She didn't want to get married tomorrow but she didn't want to hurt Ethan again. Brandt could see the conflict in Ellie's current situation.  
"You don't want to get married tomorrow..." Brandt said matter-of-factly. Ellie's head bobbed up and down slightly in reply. They were silent for a few minutes before Brandt asked "Why?" Brandt didn't particularly want to ask but he felt obliged to. His analyst mind needed to know.  
"I don't want to bullshit you, Will, but it's very complicated..." Ellie whispered as she looked up towards Brandt. His sparkling blue eyes looked concerned but were soft and caring.  
"I don't think I'm intoxicated enough to discuss it all..." She confirmed as she leant further into Brandt. He smelt like a fine wine mixed with burnt cinnamon. It was delectable! 

The bottle of vodka was almost empty when it started.  
Her soft smile was the thing that started it all. "I never noticed how soft your skin is, Will." Ellie said groggily as she rubbed the arm wrapped around her shoulder. "It's so soft," She said softly as he smiled in reply.  
If Brandt hadn't drunk as much as he had, he probably would have told her to go to bed. He would have said that this would be something she would regret tomorrow, that this shouldn't be how the night before her wedding should end. However he was just as drunk as she was (maybe even slightly more) so he just ended up going with it. 

Her light brunette hair shined as she led him through the small corridor lit by one lone light. As they entered the bedroom together, the light from the hall illuminated her curvaceous figure. It was as if she was a goddess who had just descended from the heavens. Maybe she was. He liked to think she was like Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. She was a smart warrior who looked stunning. She was fascinating.  
Her soft hands slowly unbuttoned his silky shirt. The warmness of her hands made him more elated than he could imagine. It made him twitch with anticipation. 

Slowly she put her finger to her mouth and whispered "Not yet..." Her voice seemed so intimate and soft that it made him wonder whether she had been like this with everyone she'd been with, or if he was special. Her voice made him think that he must have been special to her in some way. The softness of her voice portrayed a woman who had been hurt in the past and hadn't trusted anyone in a very long time. It seemed so unique, and it was like a window into her soul, perhaps. 

She took her time, which was odd to him. The few women who he had been with in the past had always liked it fast. They took as little time as possible getting to the 'good bit', but this time it was different. He liked it though. It might have turned him on a tad bit more, but he couldn't be sure. The woman oozed sexiness.  
After what seemed like forever, she had stripped down to her underwear and was playing with his belt. He was so hard that when she started touching near there, he whimpered slightly. She gave a little laugh as she continued touching the belt. After a couple more moans, she said gently, "Not yet, we don't want to create too much mess..." He smiled at the comment.  
"Don't worry about that!" He said as she undid his belt.  
"I'm not," She smiled. She was ready, and so was he. 

A sense of euphoria was invoked in both participants. It was an amazing high. Such a moment that she forgot all of her problems. They didn't matter, especially in this moment when she was with him. It was peaceful and she felt warm and loved as it happened. She was happy.  
Later she would try to convince herself that she didn't feel this way, but she wouldn't be successful. It was a moment that connected both of them in a way she had never felt before. This was more than just a fling, it was love. 

He was elated. He was extraordinarily happy. He didn't know what had happened but he was sure he was in heaven. She had transformed him, but later he would try to convince himself that she was right. That it was a mistake, a horrible little mistake that should never be spoken about again. But he wouldn't be successful. It was more than just a moment. There was something special that felt like the essence of love. He knew he couldn't escape it, even if he tried. 

They laid down in the quiet darkness, before both of them eased into sleep. Tomorrow might still be a mystery for both sleeping figures, but they didn't care. They didn't care about anything past the few hours of sleep they had left together.


	3. Chapter 3

The light streamed in slowly from the curtains to the side of the bed. Brandt had his arm around Ellie as he watched the sun rise in virtual silence. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. He was happy. Will could pretend for a little while that Ellie was his and that Ethan didn't exist. And that gave him a little bit of joy.

Will's daydream was disturbed by the sound of a phone buzzing on the side cabinet. He would have ignored it but it was disturbing Ellie. She moved and mumbled a little bit so he whispered "Go back to sleep, I'll answer it..." She turned over and seemed to go back to sleep, as he grabbed the phone. It was a little bit too late to answer the call but he could see who called. It was Benji. It probably wasn't that important, but Brandt sent him a text just in case. "Hi, sorry I couldn't pick up the phone. Is something wrong?"  
Less than a minute later, Brandt got a reply. "Possibly. It's 8:30, and there has been no sign of Ellie at the hotel. She also hasn't been answering anyone's calls since last night. It's probably nothing but the weddings in a couple of hours..."  
"I'll get ready and I'll check some of her hideouts. She's probably asleep somewhere. Has anyone looked for her yet?" Brandt texted in reply  
It was a few minutes before he got a reply from Benji again. "Yeah, we've looked at Ethan's, her old apartment and a couple of places in her name. I've got a program searching for her face in CCTV cameras, and I've got a few people out searching. We need to find her as soon as. We're getting worried..."

"Ok, I'll be as quick as I can. I'll drive around for a little bit to see if I can find her," Brandt replied, knowing where Ellie was but keeping it from Benji. It would look bad if Will had told him where Ellie actually was. Especially since it was her wedding day.  
"Thanks. Hopefully she's ok." Benji typed back. The worry was evident in the few words he texted. Brandt wanted to tell him that he knew she was ok, but he couldn't face the questions that might come afterwards. So he typed back "She'll be fine. Nothing will have happened to her last night because she wouldn't have let it!" It was Brandt's way of trying to reassure Benji without revealing too much.  
"Yeah", Benji replied as the conversation reached its natural conclusion. Brandt moved the phone back to the side table and slowly got up. He didn't want to disturb Ellie. She seemed so calm and peaceful when she slept.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

All he could think about, as the cold droplets of water dripped onto his body, was last night.

Even though they were both pretty drunk, it had felt so good. It felt like a fantasy, but he knew it was real. He knew it had happened.

It would have been perfect if it wasn't for the situation they were in. He was the lover, and she was the cheating fiancée (soon to be wife). The situation was all wrong but he didn't care. He loved her, and couldn't do anything about that. However he really didn't want to hurt her. She was too precious...

* * *

Author's note: Hi, I think this is the first author's note I've left on this story on fanfiction. That's a bit strange! Usually I put author's notes in most of my chapters. Random factoids aside, there is a reason I've put an author's note here. I know this chapter is super short (I'm not stupid, and I'm pretty sure everyone who has read this chapter has realised this chapter is short). That's why I'm going to publish another chapter in about an hour/2 hours (it depends how long it takes me to do the last minute checking for you guys. I want to put out the best possible chapter for you). Thank you for reading this story thus far, and I hope you come back later for more. Also I would like to thank my betas, Destiny's Horse and Phoenix the Ring of Fire, for betaring this. Thanks :)

p.s. Please leave a comment. I really want feedback on how to improve. Thanks :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was almost 9 am when Will finally woke Ellie up. The light from the curtains seemed to glisten on Ellie's soft brown hair. Her hair was scattered all over the pillow her head rested on, but she looked so gorgeous that it was hard for Will to not smile. He wished that he was the one getting married to her today. Ethan was a very lucky man!

Will put down a large mug of coffee on the side table before shaking Ellie gently on the shoulder. "Come on, let me sleep..." She moaned softly as she moved her arm over her face, as if to block the sunlight reaching her eyes.

"It's 9 o'clock, and if I let you sleep in anymore, I'm pretty sure Benji will have a heart attack!" Will joked.

"I'm sure he wouldn't! Can I have another five minutes? Please, Will..." Ellie begged, not turning her head to face him at all. He shook his head even though she wasn't looking his way.

"No, your wedding is in less than 3 hours and if you want to go through with it, you'll have to be there..." Will said as he bent down next to her face.

"I've got you a coffee ready, and I've got some aspirin in the draw." He informed her as she lifted her head slightly.

"Will, I don't think I can do this..." She said softly a couple of minutes after Will had passed her the mug of coffee. The night before her wedding had been spent with Will, instead of being at a bar celebrating her 'last' night of 'freedom'. Was it wrong that she didn't feel guilty about that? She thought it probably was, but she didn't really care. There were more pressing issues.

"Ellie," Will's calm blue eyes looked into hers. His eyes were like a calm sea during the winter. Slightly sad looking but understanding. She tried to turn away because she knew if she looked at them too much longer, she would fall in love, and falling in love with Will wasn't something she intended to do. It would ruin everything they had built together, both as friends and as colleagues. Ellie didn't want that, mainly because she loved Will too much already, and destroying the friendship they had forged over many months would be one of the worst things she could imagine.

"I don't know what to say. I've never been married so I have no idea how you feel. But what I will say is that you should do whatever makes you happy. Don't marry Ethan unless it makes you happy. It doesn't matter if everyone else hates you for it, because I never will..." He spoke softly. Ellie could have sworn that his voice broke slightly as he said that final sentence, but she would never mention it. It wasn't relevant. Ellie was silent for a couple of minutes. Her mind was full of too many thoughts, too many worries. She felt like screaming! But she didn't. Instead she was silent for a few minutes and so was Will.

"It doesn't matter if I'm happy. The only thing that matter is how I look. I'm supposed to be the blushing bride, who's getting married to my loving fiancé who deserves the best. It's supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and as long as I look and act happy, everything will be fine. Anyway if I cancel the wedding now, people will assume things, and whilst I'm no stranger to that, I don't like it, and I believe Ethan doesn't deserve that. I can act for a day. I can act in front of a load of people. That's my job..." Ellie said as she stood up out of bed.

She was naked, and in the brightness of the morning sun, Will could see the small blemishes and scars that littered her skin. They looked out of place on her, but he knew very little about her past. Her skin told of the pain she must have gone through. No one joins this job without a history, and that history was almost never good. In this position, she was vulnerable. If he was a more immoral man, Will could have taken advantage. He could have hurt her even more. But he wouldn't. Ellie meant far too much to him.

As she turned away from him, Will spoke softly "It's not your job to marry Ethan. It shouldn't be your job to marry anyone,"

"Yet it feels like it!" She replied as she turned back and walked past him, into the bathroom. Ellie felt even more awful than she had the night before. Not only was she slightly hungover, but she had cheated on her future husband, and she still didn't feel sure about going down the aisle. That wasn't good, especially since she only had a matter of hours until her wedding was scheduled to take place.

Ellie slowly made her way to the shower. As soon as she got into the shower, she let the cold water pour over her body as she slipped down the wall and to the floor. As the water splashed towards her body from all the surfaces, she let herself cry (a rarity for her). _'Ethan deserves much better than me,'_ Ellie thought silently as the water soaked into her hair and her skin.

 _'Ethan deserves so much better than me...'_ Ellie repeated her thought as her tears continued to flow down her face and into the drain.


	6. Chapter 6

Ellie and Brandt didn't talk to each other again until they got into his car, and he started to drive to the hotel where the wedding was going to take place. "Will, I'm sorry about last night." Ellie said slowly as they drove onto the highway. Before she had spoken, it had been a quiet five minutes with the only noise being from the quiet hum of the radio in the background. Neither person had really known what to say, or even if they should speak at all. Finally Ellie had broken the silence. Slightly confused, Will turned his head slightly towards Ellie. He still was looking at the road ahead but he was trying to look at Ellie at the same time.

"You don't have to be sorry." Brandt confirmed, his face slipping into its normal (almost unreadable) expression.

"I do, I got too drunk and started on you. I shouldn't have slept with you. It was wrong, and it totally goes against every rule and code we're supposed to go by. You're a good guy, and you deserve an apology." Ellie said as she looked down to her feet. She looked like shit, felt like shit, and had caused a lot of shit. If anyone found out, not only would she possibly lose her job, a good man (a great man) would too. Ellie was worried about that.

Brandt cocked his eyebrow slightly. "I got drunk too, and it takes two to tango, so to speak. I was as much to blame as you were. Actually I may deserve more of the blame, so really I should be apologising to you…" He paused, thinking about his next choice of words carefully "I'm sure you are slightly worried about me telling someone, but you shouldn't be. I won't! If I did, I would be in the wrong. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have taken advantage like that," Will said. Ellie laughed slightly. It was a slightly sad laugh that hid almost nothing.

"Didn't you hear me say you're a good guy? You're one of the rare ones in this business. You didn't take advantage of me. I took advantage of you, and your kindness. I'm sorry for that. Anyway I wouldn't be worried about you telling anyone because I know you too well. You're not interested in that sort of thing, unless you believe they deserve it, and you're generally right about it." Ellie said as she opened the window slightly to let some air in the car. It was getting a bit too stuffy for her.

"Even if you were selfish and 'blackmaily', as you said, we would both be in the wrong and there would be nothing you could gain. Actually you'd lose more than you could gain, potentially…" Ellie murmured.

"Well maybe there would be, but you would really have to hate me and Ethan, and the team as a whole, and I'm sure you really don't." Ellie muttered more quietly, smiling slightly. Will laughed slightly as he continued to drive.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Present Day

 _'_ _Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is the present, a gift from above.'_

"I'm fine... No, I'm great. I'm great! I can do this. I can do this. I love him. I love Ethan Hunt, and I can go through this for him," She assured herself as she stood back up and looked into the body length mirror on the wall. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she wondered how he could still love her. How he could still love her, even after all of the lies she had told him. She had committed an awful crime against their relationship, yet she felt very little guilt. She would make sure she was better. She was going to be a great wife... No, she was going to be the perfect wife. She would love him, she would dote on him as if she loved him more than anyone on Earth. She would give him everything she could. She would make him happy. She would make him the happiest person she could, because she knew (subconsciously) that she never would be.

"I'm going be Ethan Hunt's perfect wife, because he deserves it, and I'll enjoy making him happy because he deserves a happy wife and a happy life..." She whispered as a knock disturbed her thoughts. After grabbing the gun from the side table, she walked to the door slowly.

"Hello," Ellie said. She was nervous. Anyone could be on the other side of that door. They could be a killer for all she knew. She knew a lot of those. There was no reply, just another knock.

"Hello, who's there?" She asked once again as she neared the door. There was a short chuckle on the other side of the door. The familiar baritone of the sound made her even more fearful. He was dead. She had killed him herself! She had shot him in the head over a decade ago. He wasn't alive, he was dead. She neared the door. Her mind knew logically it couldn't be him, but she had to check. "I've got a .52 pistol in my hand, so if you don't leave now I'll have to shoot you." Ellie shouted as she stood by the side of the door. He was probably armed too and she didn't want to stain the dress.

"Well, you're not the only one who is armed as you probably know, moj mali mače. Now let me in or else I will hunt down your fiancé, your little bit on the side, and your sweet teammate. And you know how efficient I am and how much I love it! We wouldn't want any more issues, especially today!" The man said. His voice was cold and it made a chill run down her spine. This man (who had ruined her life when she was much younger, and much more naive) was only a couple of metres away from her and that scared her almost more than anything else could. Ellie edged closer to the door.

"I don't have to let you in. I could just kill you now..." She whispered, knowing there was a possibility he might not hear her.

"And if you do that, you won't have a life to live. My network will kill all of the people you love. My network will release all of your secrets, and I know multiple people who want to throw you in a cell and watch you suffer! You will wish for death!" He laughed slightly. His tone sounded sickly. His voice was like the boogieman's. It could strike fear into almost any creature, regardless of their age.

"Let me in before that happens..." He spoke. She sighed and looked down and took a deep breath. She needed to look strong. She needed to escape him this time.

As Ellie opened the door, he strode in. Confidence oozed off him as he acted like he owned the place. Like he was the boss. He looked up and down at Ellie's body. His eyes were a piercing hazel, and looked full of hunger and rage. He had deep set wrinkles around his eyes, mouth and forehead. He looked old, very old (and whilst she expected that, he was in his late 60s, after all. However he looked much older than she could have possibly expected).

"I like this," He said as he nodded and moved his hand to point at Ellie's body. "The blushing bride, it looks good on you! But does he know?" He spoke softly. Whenever he did this in the past, it was a bad sign. He was a harsh man, a horribly harsh man.

"Does he know what? Voditi, or do you want me to call you your real name?" Ellie asked, the gun was still in her hand but there was no point in pointing it at him. Voditi would just hurt her much more in the long term.

"You know, moj mali mače, does he know everything about you? Does he know your past? What you do and have done?" Voditi muttered as he got closer to Ellie. She tried to harden her stare but it was difficult. Her heart was beating faster and faster, she could feel her breathing rate rise too. His breath smelt like cheap cigarettes and paint stripping vodka. She hated that smell. It reminded of her of very bad times.

"Does he know about your life as the little whore to the powerful?" He paused and she tried not to react. Obviously Ethan didn't know. He didn't need to know about that time in her life.

"I guess not. Does he know about how you were paid?" He paused once again. She was hardening her look, trying to lock away her guilt.

"No? Does he know about your assassinations?" He paused once again as he grabbed her neck toughly. She quietly cried out in pain.

"Well he probably knows some of them. You couldn't hide those tendencies," He laughed dryly as he bent down a little to kiss her lips toughly. His lips were like wet sandpaper on hers. She felt disgusted by him. Voditi was a disgusting man, who liked to degrade his women and hurt them. Ellie didn't want to be in that world again.

"He knows what I want him to know! Just like you do. If you are only here to remind me of the past, leave. Leave right now because I fucking hate you. I killed you a decade ago and I loved the peace I had. I don't need go back there." Ellie snarled as she kicked his right knee, making Voditi fall to the floor.

"Hahahaha, you thought I was dead! Hahaha, I never died! You took a very bad shot," He suddenly turned more serious.

"But that's to be expected. You were just a young junkie. No wonder you couldn't shoot straight!" Voditi smirked. Ellie grabbed his neck and tried to strangle him. He fought back though. For his age, Voditi was very strong. After a short struggle Voditi was on top and Ellie was gasping for breath.

"You were always a stupid little girl!" He shouted as he tightened his grip on her neck. Black spots haunted the far sides of her vision. She was going pass out within a minute. She could just tell. Ellie needed to try to yell but she wasn't able to. The loudest noise she could make was a small yelp.

"I always knew you were weak, Elvdina, you were moj mali mače, but then you tried to kill me. Now I'm going to take you back," Voditi yelled as he leaned in. His beak like nose touched her cheek, "I'm going to break you again, and I can't wait until you beg for my love. You were one of the best, but you're old now, just like I am. We'll suit each other so well!" He licked her face, he made a small noise. It sounded like he was delighted by it.

"I think I'll have you here first, before taking you home. You're going to hate it, but I'm going to absolutely adore it. Seeing you try not to react, that's the fun part!" Voditi laughed a bit more before Ellie's vision was almost all obscured by black spots. Any second now she would be unconscious. He didn't say anything else before she blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Authors note: Hi, thanks for continuing to read my story. I want to warn you before you start to read the chapter that there is a rape scene in this is pretty explicit. So I just wanted to warn you.

The light was still slowly streaming from the windows on the right side of the room. They were on the fifth floor, and almost no one would be able to see them.

He was smart, but not smart enough. If Ellie wasn't downstairs by 11:20, someone would come up and check on her.

Hopefully Will, not Benji. Not that she wanted Will to be hurt or anything, but Voditi would be worse than Lane. Voditi had the possibility to hurt people in ways not even Ellie liked to think about. Will would probably be able to handle Voditi much better than Benji could.

When Ellie woke up, she felt slightly drowsy and her limbs felt heavy. She could tell that she had been drugged.

"Welcome back to land of the living, Elvdina. I've got a couple of friends coming to pick us up in about an hour; we've got plenty of time..." Voditi said as Ellie realised she was strapped to the bed with something strong. Ellie didn't quite know what, but she assumed it was something like plastic. There was no way of escape without help.

Voditi sat down in front of her and looked at her longingly. Ellie realised she was only in her underwear as she looked towards him. It was no use to ask what he was going to do. She already knew.

"You have changed quite a bit, haven't you?" He stated as he rubbed his wrinkled, calloused hands down her left leg. She didn't answer.

"Not talking, that's ok. You'll talk later, I'll make you!" Voditi whispered as he bent down to undo his worn, grey, leather, walking boots.

"You've been hiding far too long!" Voditi muttered as he threw the shoes away from the bed.

"So have you. You 'died' a decade ago, I saw…" Ellie muttered as she tried looking around the room, trying to think of any form of escape.

"Please don't make me laugh again. You shot me which made me fall unconscious but my men found me before I died. You escaped our grasp before we could find you again." Voditi whispered as he undid his belt and trousers.

"Well, I'm pretty good at that…" She murmured. The drug wasn't wearing off quickly, like Ellie had hoped.

"Yes you were. But how did you escape so well?" He asked as he started to prepare himself. He was going to punish her badly for escaping him. The girls that had escaped in the past, then found again, hadn't survived very long after being found for the second time. Ellie expected the same punishment. She didn't deserve a nice life, she deserved punishment and pain. Ellie knew what was coming so she took some deep breaths and looked away. She didn't want to look whilst he hurt her.

"Well I would tell you the truth, but I don't know what the truth is. The concept of truth is lost on me," She murmured as she felt his weight climb onto the bed. Voditi gave a dry chuckle.

"I've always liked that sense of humour of yours, maybe that will survive the next few weeks." Voditi murmured as he bent above her, slowly bringing the small blade from his hand to the side of her right hip, where the seam of her black thong sat. Voditi sliced the thin lace with a hungry ferocity. He leant over to the left hip and cut the underwear again, then threw the useless fabric to the floor. He wouldn't need that again.

Ellie was worried now. The knowledge she had about the man (through prior experience and through what she has heard from others) gave Ellie enough information to piece together what was going to happen next. She'd survive, of course, because, in Voditi's opinion, there was no fun to be had from a dead girl.

"I'd say you should relax, but I think you already know that. You've had enough experience especially since you need your sexuality in your profession," Voditi whispered as he put the razor blade down on the bed. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes.

 _'Focus, Ellie. You have been through much worse before. Just think about something else. Try not to focus on him,'_ Ellie's thoughts whispered to her as Voditi continued. "I guess they always need someone like you though, don't they? Someone who looks good and can be a good little follower, but is utterly expendable. Someone who can be replaced by a blond bimbo from down the street, if they were really desperate. Well..." He paused as if to add some more drama to this situation.

Ellie was listening (because he might reveal something, like how he knew where she was) but not absorbing the words he was saying. She knew he was trying to knock her down. It was easier to 'reprogram' people if you knocked them down early. If you knock a person down enough, they will do anything to garner your praise and attention. Ellie didn't need that. She didn't need the vile, repulsive monster's attention.

The words he was spewing were words she had heard countless times before, but always in different ways. As an agent, she was replaceable. Everyone was. Ellie has grown to accept that a very long time ago.

"They must have been desperate to go with you. A little junkie's child born into prostitution, who had escaped a ring, then stupidly joined another one. How desperate must they have been? I guess you are pretty attractive, and you were one of my favourites, but still don't they have anybody else who wanted to do the job? But then again, I guess you did whatever to get what you wanted. I heard lots of rumours about how you escaped, and who you fucked to get there. I found out about 3 years ago, and that man ended up dead down the river Salaca. He 'committed suicide' but I give you enough intelligence to know that was never the case. He never gave you up though, he was very stupid." Voditi spoke as he started to insert himself into her. His pace was much faster than she had been anticipating. It hurt, badly. His thrusts were fast and deep, like this was a chore. Ellie kept her eyes shut tight as tears threatened to spill over. She wasn't going to cry, especially not in front of him. Tears were a sign of weakness, and to show weakness in front of Voditi was like signing your own death warrant.

Weak girls he sold off quickly (usually to high end businessmen who wanted a house pet they could fuck or kill without the worry of people sniffing around). The girls Voditi dealt with were never missed by anybody. He was very clever in that way. They were always very careful.

Sometimes Voditi got the girl's via their parents who sold them into the business, either believing they would be giving their children a better life, or just in exchange to pay debts (usually drug or gambling debts).

Sometimes Voditi's gang couldn't resist their urges, and took a prostitute straight from the street. Those girls were the sort who lived 'high risk lives' and usually had no family or friends to speak of. And then there were other times, times where the girls were in a cycle of being bought and sold by various criminals. Sometimes there were exceptions to this, but most girls fell into one these categories.

"Then your name came up in a meeting almost 3 months ago. I had a friend who knew your new name, what country you lived in, and what you did. He also wanted something I could easily supply. It took me far too long to find you in the US, but I did." He said as he pumped in and out.

Voditi took a sickly breath as he went over the edge. She felt him cum inside of her and felt sick. Voditi was an awful man, who had just raped her, and that made her feel horrid. No, not horrid. Horrid was too much of a sweet word to describe how she was feeling at that moment. She wasn't feeling. Ellie couldn't believe that she was in this position again. Voditi was once again taking something from her. She was still that little girl, who couldn't fight back, and that hurt her. She was worthless. Truly worthless. She barely deserved to breath. There was no point. She back to the worst times in her life and she hated it.

He took a couple of shallow breaths, as he wiped some sweat beads from his brow.

"Open your eyes, moj mali mače. I want to see your beautiful blue eyes..." He whispered as Ellie faced the window, eyes still closed in defiance. He grabbed the side of her face with his large wrinkled hand.

"Open your eyes, Elvdina," He growled quietly. She still didn't and that was probably a mistake. Whenever Voditi got angry, he got violent and more callous. He was a bad guy anyway, but when he got angry, he was one of the worst men Ellie had ever seen (and she'd seen her fair share of bad men).

"Open your fucking eyes now, sweetheart, or else I will make sure you can never close them again. Do you fucking understand?" He yelled as she decided to open her eyes a little bit. They were white, but a couple of tears escaped. She looked at him sternly, repulsed by his actions.

"Good good, moj mali mače, now tell me how you feel? Tell me how I did. Did I make it better?" Voditi said in his perverted sickly voice.

If she was sensible, she would have sucked up to him like so many asslickers she had seen in her time, but she had very little to lose and she couldn't be asked to make up a lie. She knew she'd get hurt, but that didn't matter anymore. There was no way she was going to get out of this.

Even if she could, she wouldn't be able to look at Ethan (or Will, or Benji, or anyone) in the same way again. She'd have to leave and make a new life for herself, because she knew the looks she'd receive (the looks of pity, the looks of disgust, the looks of apology). She wouldn't be able to stand them.

There was the option of telling no-one, but there was no way she could hide this. People would find out, because people always find out.

She'd have to leave regardless of what happened after today, because she hated herself for letting this happen, and if she let this happen, what would she let happen next. Would she let someone die on the field? Maybe, Ellie just didn't know. She didn't trust herself, and she doubted that she ever would again.

"You repulse me. You are sick creature who loves to hurt and kill innocents, and you are like a cancer that I thought I had killed many years ago. You would never make anything better even if you tried. You are a disgusting, old man who has nothing better to do than to fuck with people, and I'm going to kill you. Properly this time though. I'm going to bury you and your empire, so that nobody else has to deal with you again. I hate you and I think if it wasn't for the fact you had drugged me and tied me to this bed, I would have killed you already." Ellie said bitterly as she looked him squarely in the eye. Voditis lips pursed slightly as he thought of what to do next.

"Is that what you really think?" He said, Ellie could tell there was anger boiling in his blood, threatening to burst out. "Is that what you really think?" He yelled as he grabbed her neck again.

"Yes!" She said as she felt her breath leaving her body.

"Really? You think that I'm a repulsive criminal?" He yelled as he tightened his hold. Ellie couldn't breathe, it was torture.

"You think I kill innocents. Well you're no innocent, so if I kill you, you'll be very wrong." He yelled again. Ellie's vision started going black, and she was worried. Voditi was going to kill her, in this hotel room, on her wedding day. Death didn't terrify her, but the amount that she was leaving behind did. If someone knew about her, they probably knew about Will, Hunley, and various other secrets that needed to stay secret. Ellie didn't want to leave the world like this. People didn't deserve to be in terrible danger, because she couldn't hide her secrets. It wasn't fair to anyone.

As her vision started to blur, something strange happened.

A knock at the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Voditi could have ignored it, and kept strangling Ellie until he was sure that she was dead, but he didn't. He let go of Ellie's neck, scrambled off the bed, and snatched the gun off of the floor.  
"Who's at the door Elvdina?" He yelled.  
"I don't know, it could be anyone! I don't have X-ray vision, answer the door." Ellie gasped, trying to get her breath back. Voditi mumbled something as he moved towards the door. He opened the door, dressed only in his shirt. She saw her opportunity and had to take it. If she didn't try to alert the person at the door, she could end up dead.  
"Umm, I think I've got the wrong room," A man said nervously. Ellie was still restrained on the bed, and was not ready for another fight. Ellie couldn't hear the man at the door clearly. She was too busy breathing deeply, trying to recover, whilst she could.  
"I think you have," Voditi replied dryly. A thought clicked in Ellie's head. She wouldn't be able to escape without help. Help was at the door. She had to do this. She had to shout and scream whlist she could. Ellie couldn't afford a missed opportunity at this point.  
"Help, please..." Ellie tried to yell but it came out quieter than she would have liked. There were a couple of moments of silence before Voditi said to the man "That's just my girl, you know how women are." Voditi tried to laugh it off.  
"Please help, he is going to kill me!" She yelled, her voice was coming back quite quickly.  
"She doesn't sound like your girlfriend!" The man at the door shouted as Voditi laughed. "Well, she is, and you can't do anything to help. Leave now, or else I will shot you. Decide wisely," Voditi said angrily as he pointed his gun at the man. "That's a really, really bad idea..." The man spoke as he got ready for a fight.

"Why? What are you going to do, American boy toy?" Voditi laughed, and he didn't see what was happening until it had happened. The man grabbed the gun from Voditi's hands, turned it on him, then shot him in the right knee cap. There wasn't a single moment of hesitation on the man's behalf. He walked in and Ellie had never been so happy to see Will. The nightmare was over, at last.

He kicked the door shut and yelled "Stay down," and Voditi smiled. That look on his face was a look of attack. Brandt shot him in the shoulder as he tried to get up.  
"I warned you, don't get up again!" Brandt yelled. He looked stressed and slightly worried, as he turned to Ellie. His eyes had warmed slightly as he turned to Ellie. The worry was still very evident in his face though.

"Can you help me out? I just need someone to cut me out of these bounds," Ellie whispered quietly as Brandt grabbed the razor by the side of her hip. He cut the plastic which tied her to the metal frame of the bed quickly.  
"I'm sorry," Brandt whispered as he cut the plastic. She shook her head and whispered back  
"You couldn't have known this was going on. You would have had no idea..." She wasn't looking at will but was looking towards Voditi (who was cursing in Belerusian). He was trying to get up, but was failing miserably. That gave her a slight bit of satisfaction, even though she felt disgusted. Not only at the criminal on the floor, but at herself. Ellie was ashamed of the position Will had found her in. She was a strong woman, a strong brave woman. She was an IMF agent, for fucks sake. She should have been able to save herself. She should have killed Voditi before he even became a threat. Ellie felt like she had failed, and now she was paying the price. She had been reduced to a weakling who needed to be saved. Ellie had never wanted that. She felt like she'd been reduced to a horrible stereotype… The female liability who needed a knight to save her. Ellie hated that.  
"He is a disgusting creature, I wished I had never known." She said as in a disgusted tone. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to stop herself from crying. She wanted to maintain some form of dignity in front of Will. Feeling her wrist bounds become free, she turned to Will, her eyes tinted by red lines, with her petite right hand held out to him.  
"Please can you give me your gun?" Her voice was laced with emotion. Will knew it wasn't right to give it to her. She was too emotional to make any great decisions with a firearm. He knew he shouldn't do it, because he knew that if she killed the European asshole on the hotel floor she would face consequences (and they wouldn't be good consequences). Will shook his head as he whispered "No," Her face turned a brighter red as her eyes narrowed and her lips turned into a snarl.  
"Will, give me your gun now. I'm not going to ask again." Ellie whispered in an angry tone. He shook his head once again.  
"I'm sorry Ellie, I'm not going to give my gun whilst you're like this. I'm sorry," He spoke softly as he got up and off the bed. He left the razor on the bed with her.  
"Why? He deserves to die and I deserve to kill him," Ellie hissed as she stole the razor off the dirty sheet and started cutting the rope around her ankles. Will felt guilty but knew he had made the right decision.  
"Because if you kill him, and anyone else finds out, we won't be able to hide this… I don't want you to go to prison for killing this animal," Will whispered as he looked away from her. He could watch her because he knew (from her reaction) he had made the wrong choice. Will should have ignored the consequences for once, but he thought that in the long term he'd made the right decision. She wouldn't be facing an enquiry, or potentially jail time, if she didn't shoot the douchebag on the floor. However that wasn't good enough for the short term.

It was about a minute before she spoke again. She had sliced the rope and got up from the bed. She walked beside Will, who was staring at Voditi, with rage filled eyes. "That's ok, I understand. But you know me Will," She paused as she walked behind him. "I don't always follow direct orders," She whispered as she punched Will in the neck, knocking him out. Slowly, she guided his body to the ground because she didn't want to hurt him. Well not seriously anyway. The blow to his head, would keep him unconscious long enough to do what she needed to do, but he'd wake up. She was sure of that. Ellie stole the gun from his inside jacket pocket and pointed it at Voditi. He tried to show no emotion, but she was a trained spy. She could smell his fear from a mile away.  
"I wasn't lying when I said I was going to kill you, Voditi." Ellie said dryly as she walked up closer to his old, fat body. He was trying to get up, possibly trying to fight back. But he was in a weakened state. Will had shot him twice already. She had no smile on her face. No tears in her eyes. She had a look which was hard to decipher. In that moment, Voditi thought of a saying he'd heard many years ago and he couldn't help but smile. 'Death will wear a familiar face,' Ellie was his death. She was someone wearing a familiar face, but she had cold eyes and a gun in her hand. It seemed a fitting and destine end to his life. Ellie (her life potentially ruined by his actions) ready to destroy him. That sort of justice seemed funny to Voditi, but he wasn't going to laugh. Not yet anyway.

Secretly, Voditi was hoping for a quick death, but knew that he would be very lucky if that happened. She would try and drag it out for as long as possible. She would want revenge and she would get it. Ellie was very good at getting stuff she wanted. "Well, moj mali mače, you haven't done it yet, so I wouldn't brag if I was you. Your American friend might wake up and stop you," Voditi smiled. He was trying to forge some confidence in the situation. Confidence can be an ally, but it can also be the undoing of many stupid people. "He won't stop me, because I would have already started. Also he knows what sort of beast you are, and I very much doubt that he'll help you in the slightest." Ellie snarled in reply.  
"Well then, you better start soon. A knockout punch only lasts a minute or two at most." Voditi smiled as Ellie shook her head. "You're wrong, but I don't care anymore. You are a dead man and I'm going to be very much alive at the end of this. I just need to know a name," Ellie replied as she bent down in front of the horrid man. They were less than a metre away from each other, but they shared a similar look of distane for one another.  
"Who told you where to look?" His eyes looked more scared in that moment than at any time she had ever seen him. He was truly terrified of something. It made Ellie wonder who/what could possibly ellisit such a response. Whoever this person was made Voditi think they was dangerous. Very few men could do that.  
"Who told you where to look for me?" Ellie snarled once again. Voditi shook his head and whispered very quietly (so quietly that Ellie had to lean in to hear) "I'm a deadman if I tell you."  
"You're a deadman if you don't," Ellie countered. She didn't understand. Her mind was buzzing, but all she could think about was the question 'who told him my location?'  
"No, Elvdina, you don't understand. If I tell anyone, he will get someone to kill me. I'm a deadman..." Voditi whispered as he leant back further away from Ellie. Ellie was calculating what to say next. She didn't move but anger and confusion was planted on her face. Lots of people would want to hide their names, especially the ones who worked with Voditi, but almost none were powerful enough to threaten Voditi in that sort of way. Well that was how it was, more than a decade ago. Whoever Voditi had got involved with now was powerful, secret, and knew about her. That was a bad combo.  
"I don't care. Tell me, I need to know." Ellie said as she aimed her gun at his head. The cold, metal, ring of the gun was touching his forehead lightly. He shook his head some more as he closed his eyes.  
"Moj mali mače, this man is bad. I can't tell you," Voditi whispered once again. The annoyance was evident on Ellie's features as she yelled "I don't care. Tell me his name,"  
Little did they know that facing them (on a rooftop opposite the hotel) was a sniper who was ready to shoot.

"He is European, quite tall, blue eyes..." Voditi whispered in a rushed voice. Little did he know that a sniper was holding the trigger very tightly waiting for his boss' command.  
"I need a name," Ellie whispered.  
"His name is..." Voditi was rudely cut off by a bullet entering his skull. In a couple of ways this excited and made Ellie relieved. Voditi was dead, after all, and there was a sniper on the roof! If she knew who the sniper was, she might have been relieved. But since there was an unknown assailant shooting into the room, Ellie was terrified. As Voditi's body went limp in front of her, blood splattered onto her almost nude body as she ran inside the room's wardrobe. She had to escape, because whoever was outside was not a known quantity. Also whoever was outside shooting could shoot again, and she had no clear view of the shooter. That meant she was almost defenceless. It didn't help that she had no idea what was coming next. She not only had to run, but hide as well?  
As she was in the wardrobe, she grabbed the pair of jeans lying on the tiled floor and quickly did them up. Ellie counted to twenty and when she heard no more gun shots, she assumed that the sniper wasn't here to shoot her (so had disappeared). She snuck out the wardrobe quietly, staying as low to the ground as she could (just in case the sniper hadn't left yet, and was tempted to start shooting again).  
She crawled over to Will who was starting to wake up. Ellie should have apologised or explained, but she needed to escape. Whoever was out there, knew she knew something, and she wasn't prepared to put her friends, no her family, in danger. Those people out there were going to be worse, and were going to use everything they could to make sure she was no threat to their interests. This business (just like life) is a game. Hunt or be hunted. Kill or be killed. There no winners, but there are plenty of losers. Ellie wasn't aiming to be a loser, but when they found out about her, everyone would be in danger. If she wanted to save her family from almost certain death, she had to run.

"I'm sorry Will, I truly am..." Ellie whispered as she took off his jacket and knocked him out again. He'd be safe because someone would check on him soon enough. She put on his jacket (quickly checking that there were no devices that could be tracked in the jacket pockets) and walked out of the room, and walked out of the life of Ellie Mctargen.


	10. Chapter 10

Records would later show that Agent Ellie Mctargen had gone missing on her wedding day, and had been disavowed by the Secretary three days later after a piece of intel seemed to prove that she had been murdered. Very few people ever found out what that intel was, but it had been enough to wipe Ellie Mctargen from the IMF's history. Agent William Brandt was the last one to see her alive, however he had been knocked out by an unknown assailant, and was barely conscious when found. In his report, he would say that he interrupted Ellie being tortured by the head of the Redalla ring (known for their immoral practices with women and children, and their links with big criminal empires across the world), Mr Vortigern 'Voditi' Crestrorev, and a minute and a half after shooting him in the kneecaps and shoulder (in self-defense) an unknown, presumed associate of Mr Crestrorev, entered the room and knocked him out. Will's report left out most of the truth, but that didn't matter. The truth was a matter of circumstance. It wasn't all things to all people, all of the time. The truth was a part of a narrative, and Will didn't want to darken the narrative of a brilliant woman.

Only three people knew what really happened, one of them was dead, one was missing (presumed dead), and the other would never mention what really happened on that day to anyone else because no one else needed to know. They would presume things about Ellie which would be inherently false. They would presume that she was a traitor who ran when times got tough, and Will didn't want that. She wasn't a traitor, but Will didn't quite know what to believe when it came to the reason why she ran. For all he knew, she may have really been a traitor who duped everyone into believing her. Maybe Will was just an idiot for thinking Ellie Mctargen was anything above a liar and a cheat. But in his heart of hearts, Will knew she was better than his hateful, cynical side perceived. Will was sure Ellie wasn't a traitor, or a bad person. She just did what she thought she needed to do. Will had to believe that. He just had to believe that. Will hoped she was ok, and that her running had a reason, because if he found out she had actually died, Will would have been heartbroken (just like Ethan was). Ellie Mctargen was a good person and had her reasons for leaving.

The team stood over the recently dug grave. The gray headstone read Ellie's name, her supposed birthdate, and the date of her disappearance. Nobody quite wanted to believe that she was dead, but there was no evidence to show she was still alive. Today had been her funeral, and Will was sure that they hadn't buried a real body. Even if they had buried a real cadaver, they hadn't buried her body. Quietly they stood together over the grave, reflecting on what had happened. Ethan naturally blamed himself for what had happened, even though he knew he couldn't have done anything to change what had happened. Will was certain that Ethan was drinking heavily and wasn't sleeping. He smelt of booze whenever Will had tried to see him, after they had found out she had 'died'. But to be fair, Ethan had just lost his fiancée but at least he didn't have the knowledge Will had. Maybe that added to Will's guilt. Looking at Ethan (dishevelled, with dark circles as large as the moon under his eyes), made Will feel even worse. Ellie's 'death' was slowly killing Ethan, but if he knew what had really happened before she left, it would have hurt Ethan much more than her death did now.

Benji wasn't right either. He probably blamed himself too, but there was nothing he could have done differently without causing much more pain to the small trio standing around the small piece of granite in the ground. Will wasn't sleeping right, and he was definitely drinking more than average, but he was coping, and he was looking. His guilt and worry was slowly eating himself up. Will was looking for her, because he couldn't let her go like that. Ellie might have walked out of her life without almost anyone knowing, but she wasn't leaving Will's mind anytime soon. The team stood very still for a couple of minutes before Will decided to leave. He needed to go because this wasn't fair. Sharing in the others misery wasn't fair when he knew so much more. They needed to mourn but he didn't. Will just needed to find her before she actually ended up dead. Will walked out slowly and got into his car, he could still see both men at her grave, unshed tears in their eyes. He would do this for them and for what she represented, not for her, not for him. This was for them. They needed the lie that was the death of Ellie Mctargen. But Will believed that they deserved better than that. They all deserved better than that.

* * *

Author's note: I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has read this story. I hope you've all enjoyed it. I'd also like to thank my betas Destiny's Horse and Phoenix the Ring of Fire for betaring this story. I might make this part of a series, but it depends if you (the readers) want more. Please like and comment. Thank you for reading The Wedding Day. :)


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